#but coding is genuine real magic

[megalunalexi-aesthetic]

Hmm.....

Gods, posts like these really make me want to make my own AI (I'm an artist and amateur coder, bear with me)

The thing that makes me saddest is that I think AI could be really fun and creative and collaborative. It can also absolutely be art and take effort, in that the coder creates it with effort and skill.

Imagine an AI which had an attached gallery to every image, so you can go see what it referenced. Imagine everything in it - art, photos, the descriptions - was all donated voluntarily, with credit every time it made something. Imagine if it was allowed to create the weird shapes AI is prone to, rather than being shoved closer and closer to realism.

If it stays small, then it makes no impact, completely harmless. If it gets bigger, it would potentially introduce people to new artists, combine things which never would have been combined by a human, and genuinely make art a human is incapable of making (I fucking ADORED the weird shit the early AIs were coming up with!!)

The saddest thing about AI is that it COULD have been actually cool, it WAS cool for a long time (VQGAN+clip, anyone?), and like everything else capitalism ruined it.

It doesn't HAVE to be nothing, it's just had the soul sucked out like everything else seems to.

ai generated images make me increasingly sad and tired the more i see them in more and more casual contexts. i dont know how to explain, but it just fills the world with a bunch of nothing. no matter how visually stunning the pictures might be, there's nothing behind it for me. no dedication, no emotions, no feelings, no hard work or creativity, nothing i can truly think about, admire or enjoy. i dont think thats how art is supposed to be

[iiusia]

just got reminded of as long as the lemon trees grow and im STILL mad about that book

[golvio]

I think the reason why the Utena finale always kills me is because that sweet, helpful, selfless little girl who gave her life for her brother without hesitation, even if she didn’t understand what that actually would mean for her for the rest of eternity, had been in that coffin the whole time.

Anthy insists that she’s soiled and ruined because of her abuse at Akio’s hands, and she genuinely believes it. She sees herself as a wreckage of that past innocent self, who lived when things were Better and died when they stopped being Better, and now what’s left is unsalvageable junk. A “fallen woman,” only capable of acting selfishly and cynically in the service of a man who no longer loves her, who deserves to be hurt again and again for her impurity and her foolishness in clinging to him, who cannot survive in the world outside.

And yet, upon waking up, the very first thing her “true,” unguarded self does is scream at Utena to run, to save herself, to leave her behind.

That selfless little girl never left, not even when she grew up into a jaded, tired young adult. She was always there. All the swords in the world couldn’t kill her. Akio couldn’t kill her. Not even Anthy herself could kill her, not with all the denial and repression and magic in the world.

And in the end, that little girl finally experienced the unconditional love she’d always been hoping for, the kind she’d always deserved but never received from the one she’d sacrificed herself for. And that tiniest glimpse of real love and real happiness was enough to help her escape from the prison she’d been trapped in her whole life, join hands with that tired and jaded old witch who’d spent what felt like eternity trying to bury her, and walk free.

All girls are like the Rose Bride, sure. Some boys are, too. Touga shared enough of Anthy’s trauma at Akio’s hands that he eventually got a sword pulled from his own chest, even if he was forbidden from wearing the bridal outfit because a boy wearing a suitable gown for the role would be against the Ohtori Academy dress code. However, the flipside of that is that if there’s hope for even the most hated little girl in the whole world, there’s also hope for the rest of us.

[claraswritings]

Reader opens a bookshop opposite the Bear. Her and Carmy meet and she holds back cook books for him and he cooks her food 😭

Omg cute 🥰 I put a bit of a twist on this one I hope you don’t mind but blurb btc

No TW just fluff

You’d been in the city for a little over two months when had met him. Carmen Berzatto.

He’d stumbled in, slightly pink in the cheeks looking for a book about a ‘magical pony’.

You’d given him a smile, small and tweaking at the corner of your mouth and pointed off to the colourful section down around a corner

“First display in the kids section. If you get lost it’s directly under the inflatable unicorn”

“Thanks” he ran a hand through a mess of curly hair and took off.

“It’s not for me” he told you when he’d returned with it in hand, some of the glitter from the cover now stuck to his patchwork jacket.

“I’m not one to judge.” You stated matter of factly. Even if it was for him, a grown man buying a unicorn book would not be the weirdest thing you’d seen.

“I promise it’s for…my cousins kid. I mean he’s not actually my cousin…but he’s…”

You looked amused.

“Okay, I believe you. Thousands wouldn’t” you teased as you slipped the pink sparkly book into a bag and handed it over.

“Is this place new?” He asked as if it had just dawned on him this was no longer the carpet shop it used to be and you raised your eyebrows.

“About two months.”

He let out a low whistle and nodded “I’m…Carmen, Carmy…I own erm…” he stopped and gestured out of the window hoping he sounded better out loud than he did in his head.

“The Bear?” You asked and when he tilted his head in confusion “I know. I’ve seen you come and go. It’s a big window.”

He winced even though it didn’t sound like a dig.

“Sorry, I would have said hi sooner, I’ve not…I’ve not been with it. Busy getting ready to re open.”

He winced again. You’d obviously not long since opened too.

“It’s okay” you said in the same way you’d said ‘I’m not one to judge’ and Carmy weirdly liked that. “I had a sandwich there a while back…when I was viewing this place. Maybe I’ll come in sometime.”

The way you said it was genuine. Not in the placid, token sentiment way people said it. You sounded like you mean it

“I’ll, uh, lemme know and I’ll sort you a table.”

****

It went on like this for a little while.

He’d started coming in every few days, mostly following Eva and Richie in.

“Ah, the cousin and his daughter are real.” You’d quipped the first time. “See I held back the new unicorn book thinking this guy was a secret fan…” you winked at Carmy before pausing “Guess I’ll have to give it to this little lady!” You passed Eva over a book which she ran off excitedly with

Richie had given you a nod and a “Thanks sweetheart” before slapping Carmy on the back and following his daughter off to the kids table.

The look he gave Carmy did not go unnoticed by you. Almost as soon as they were out Richie had turned to him with this shit eating grin

“Wonder why you wanted to go in. Real obvious cousin.”

“What? Was I?? Do you think she noticed?” Suddenly Carmy felt about sixteen and awkward again, as he glanced over through the window at you.

Richie clipped him around the head with the book “Just ask the nice lady out, fucko”

***

“Carmy!” You’d grinned when he’d come in a few days later. “I kept you a present”

He raised an eyebrow “Uh, yeah, you mentioned something about…” you paused not wanting to butcher the French pronunciation. “A French evening? At your place?”

You ducked behind the counter and picked up the hardback book, placing it on the counter with a dramatic drop.

“Here.” You pushed it towards him

It was a famous chefs latest book. Full of recipes and inspiration from his upbringing in Marseille and about his three star restaurant in Nice. “This is signed.” Carmy’s eyes widened

“Yes. I know” you tilted your head to the side and watched him flip through it. “Is that like…against some kinda chef code or something.”

“Chef code?” Carmy raised an eyebrow “Like scouts honor?”

You shrugged “I dunno. Just you look confused by the prospect of a signed book.”

“No…it’s just…I can pay for it” Carmy started looking around in his wallet and you raised your eyebrows

“Don’t worry about it”

“Are you sure? It’s signed. This is like having a…book signed by…”

“By him?” You tapped the cover.

“By like…Tolkien or something” Carmy continued “Shit analogy I know.”

“No I get it. He’s like some type of chef Tolkien”

“Yeah.” Carmy nodded

“So he’s good?”

“He’s one of the best. This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You know he never signs right? I think he’s uh… like a recluse?” Carmy held up a hand“Hold on okay? I’ll be right back”

Right back was twenty minutes later. He entered holding out a plastic carton

“It’s the… I brought you some?” He ran his hand through his hair wondering if it was weird. “It’s not how I’d usually plate it.”

“I know. Thank you” you said and he noticed your slow reassuring tone and in his mind he heard Richie again, berating him for not asking you out

“Uh next time…How about I don’t bring you food. How about I take you out. Properly.”

“I think I’d like that”

[ckret2]

What’s ur favorite GF character you almost never see mention/art of?

Lately as I've been digging more into Gideon's character in order to write him, I've actually been getting genuinely fond of that kid.

There's a lot to work with! He's the season 1 main villain and the villain with the most appearances, he does real magic, he's right on the cusp of forming a full cult around his fake magic, he's been earning his family's money since age 9 at least, he bonds with Mabel because they both like beautiful sparkly things—there's a side to him that vibes HARD with Mabel that she felt too that gets buried when he romance zones her, and it's a huge loss for both of them—he had the exact same "found a Journal and got obsessed with its magical/paranormal secrets and went to extremes trying to dig to the bottom of this mystery" story as Dipper but we never SEE that story because it's all offscreen and that's a WILD plotline for a kid coded as (Raised To Act Like) A Good Little Conservative Christian Boy, he's as much Ford's indirect protégé-in-absentia as Dipper was,like, he has nearly as much to flip out about re: the Ford reveal as the actual Mystery Shack household does, he's the only other person in town who understands the gravity of that, AND HE'S ALSO Stan's nemesis, which is WILD, they BOTH look goofy for considering the other their nemesis—he's summoned and betrayed Bill Cipher TWICE and lived to tell the tale, he went to WHOLE ADULT JAIL as a TEN YEAR OLD and formed a BIKER GANG that follows him just because they adore him and he brightens up their lives... There is so much! Going on with this kid! He's SUCH a fun & fascinating character, he can be an interesting foil to ALL the Pines in different ways and he's got the second deepest relationship with the main villain out of the whole cast just in terms of how much we can assume they interacted with each other...

But for a main villain and one of the most frequent recurring characters, Gideon gets next to no fandom attention. When I search his tag, nearly every post is about the whole ensemble cast with Gideon just happening to be included too; i can scroll for pages and only see 2 or 3 posts that are actually about GIDEON.

I'm assuming it's because he's chubby and has a goofy pompadour.

[siswritesyanderes]

i mightve asked this before, in which case go ahead and ignore this lmao. which characters would be the best vs worst when handling an autistic darling?

Oooh, this is a cool question! I would say it depends on the particular symptoms the person has, so I'll go over some symptoms and which yanderes would respond best vs. worst.

avoidance of eye-contact

Obviously, shy, autistic, or autistic-coded yanderes would work really well with this (and other) symptom(s). Your Donatello's, your Newt's, arguably your Peter Parker's. Also, yanderes who are able to sense when their darling's attention is on them supernaturally or just out of sheer social aplomb. Elves, for example, would be great with someone who doesn't like eye contact, because their body language conventions differ as a result of being able to communicate mentally.

Roxanne Wolf would be distinctly bad for this, based on her need for attention as demonstrated in Help Wanted 2. But she's also not beyond reason when it matters, as we've seen in Ruin DLC, so I'm sure communicating about it is on the table.

sensory reactivity

Okay, I think Dr. Strange would very specifically be bad for this, because his movies are all swirling kaleidoscopes of magic that would definitely be sensory overload in real life, and I have mentioned before that I don't see him as a considerate yandere. If anything, he might enjoy inducing sensory overload for the express purposes of making his darling require comfort, care, and isolation from others.

On the other hand, and maybe a weird pull for this, but Zafrina from Twilight would be great. Alec, too. Both have powers that would be super helpful when darling is overwhelmed.

Druig is able to just make everyone nearby shut up, which he would employ liberally.

food sensitivity/pickiness

Yanderes who enjoy cooking could go both ways on this. I could see some being offended by negative feedback and some taking it as being gifted with the challenge of meeting their darling's standards. Teruteru from Danganronpa and Esme from Twilight would both probably be good about receiving feedback and making changes. Super eager to please. Esme more so than Teruteru; he might get offended at first.

Rich and royal yanderes would delight in someone picky. They would love to be able to send food back with new, highly specific orders because darling doesn't like grapes with soft spots. Your Tony Stark's, your Byakuya Togami's, your Toph Beifong's, your Coriolanus Snow's.

Ralph from DBH would be a problem. He has a very weak grasp on what humans eat and a very high sensitivity to negative feedback. (Wait, he's just like me...)

resistance to changes in routine

This one would be a problem for yanderes who feel a need to go on adventures and trips with their darling. Which isn't necessarily the same as adventurous yanderes. Some adventurous yanderes might enjoy the idea of their darling staying behind at home keeping to a comfortable routine. But the ones who want their darling along on the adventure would be problematic. The Doctor, for example. Especially Eleven; he gets bored easily.

Whereas I think a lot of superheroes would like the idea of keeping their darling sequestered away, living predictably and comfortably. Clark Kent, Steve Rogers, Druig...The only catch is that some of them (Druig) would probably be a bit condescending about it.

I think Daycare Attendant would be great for routine. Coloring time, snack time, naptime, same time every day, sign them up! Also condescending, but they genuinely can't help it because it's how they're programmed.

Technically, Phineas and Ferb keep to a very specific routine, albeit a pretty tiring/potentially overwhelming one.

sorting things

This would be great for the disorganized genius character type. A Bruce Banner, if you will. An organized genius probably already has a system and might have trouble with someone sorting things differently than they have them. A distinctly slovenly character probably wouldn't mind either way.

hyperfixation

Yo, Queen from Deltarune would be the best for this. She would create an inescapable palace of the thing darling likes. Swatch and the Swatchlings would be involved.

stimming

There might be a problem if the yandere is easily distracted and needs to focus on something else. The main one I can think of who fits that description is Percy Jackson. That's not a distaste thing; just a pragmatic issue. Yanderes who experience sensory overload might also have an issue with it. My first thought was Queen Elsa.

On the other hand, Leo Valdez would love to make little stim toys for his darling. Donatello, too.

[reguluskeys]

Silly Marauders Headcanons

i posted all of these to my tiktok a while ago, felt like reposting them here !!

click keep reading to see them all <3

James Potter

Cannot spell at all, gets points docked off essays all the time for lack of proper spelling

Writes reminders on his arm and STILL forgets them

Very interested in muggle things, constantly asking Lily, Mary, and Remus how muggle things work

Sirius Black

Loves to scared Filch by running around as Padfoot and randomly barking

Can’t swim at all, refuses to learn because it would mess up his hair

Loves to sit outsides and watch the stars, it was what he planned for his and Remus’ first date

Remus Lupin

“Casanova of Gryffindor Tower” but he has no idea, thinks everyone is looking at him because he’s weird

Sits in the most uncomfortable positions known to MAN. nobody understands how he is comfortable

Very fidgety, always doing something with his hands, his favorite it playing with Sirius’ hair

Peter Pettigrew

Incredibly smart, just doesn’t know how to apply the information he knows

Has an irrational hate towards Pandora because she beat him at chess once

Loves to collect interesting looking leaves

Lily Evans

Loves braiding people’s hair and adding ribbons or other hair accessories to them

Has always enjoyed fantasy books since she was really little and was absolutely ecstatic when she found out magic was real

Loved to dance, doesn’t matter the music or if there even is any, will dance basically anywhere

Mary Macdonald

Loves doing people’s makeup, her favorite canvas is james because of his long eyelashes

Genuinely loves quidditch and finds it very interesting, but doesn’t want to play even if she’d probably be good at it

Absolutely beautiful singing voice, has sung Marlene and Lily to sleep many times

Marlene Mckinnon

Absolutely adores animals, has always thought very hard about what her animagus would be

Also shit at spelling but better than James

McGonagall’s favorite because she was so sweet her first year (Marlene has a crush on her and didn’t know)

Regulus Black

Very sentimental, has a box of things with his most important memories

Loves swimming, makes him feel more calm

Jealous of how smart Sirius is because unlike him he has to actually put in the work to get good marks

Dorcas Meadows

Loves making jewelry, will make them for her favorite people

Loves writing short stories and poetry, doesn’t have the patience to write for very long though

Casanova of Slytherin Tower. I will not be elaborating.

Barty Crouch Jr.

Incredibly good at reading people, to the point it’s almost scary

Very clumsy and on many occasions has woken up on the floor without realizing he fell

Very advanced vocabulary but doesn’t use proper grammar because it pisses everyone off

Evan Rosier

Very clean person, showers every night, incredibly organized, etc.

Not a very touchy person but gives the best hugs when he knows they’re needed (or unless it’s Barty.)

Hates reading, absolutely DESPISES it, no real reason he just can’t bring himself to enjoy it

Pandora Rosier

Loves making code languages; Regulus, Dorcas, and especially Evan understand them but Barty doesn’t and it pisses him off

Her favorite pastime is walking around outside barefoot by herself

Loves climbing on things; trees, people, counters, doesn’t matter, the higher the better

[burstbubbbles]

things im noticing as i rewatch bnha, an ongoing thread:

SEASON 1

- deku really was such a nerd lmao he's just like me fr (like i KNEW but i didn't remember how much i could relate to it. oops.)

- it's also interesting that he always fights back against bakugo and calls him an idiot a lot. idk why (probably because of fandom characterization) i remembered early-seasons deku as a lot more innocent and scared of bakugo. like, here's the thing, deku is scared of pretty much everything at the start because he's shy/anxious. he gets nervous talking to most of his classmates (especially, but not only, girls) when he first meets them and starts trembling when he gets elected as class president before handing the role to iida. so basically, his anxiety isn't reserved to bakugo like i remembered – if anything, he seems to get over his fear of getting bullied by him pretty quickly once he realizes he can fight back.

- kaminari tried to ask uraraka out in their first or second day of school and she was like "uhhh i like to eat... uhh... WAIT DEKU CAME BACK FROM THE NURSE'S OFFICE" lol i really didn't remember that

- bakugo's insecurity was always there. as you're reading this you might be thinking i first watched mha with my eyes closed or sth, and you're not very far from the truth. here's the thing, i first watched it when i was like 14-15, so all i knew back then was that bakugo was insufferable and i didn't think further than that. of course, he ended up becoming one of my favorite bnha characters after reading all of the manga, but it's cool to realize his character arc was foreshadowed from the beginning and didn't just magically start around season 3.

- but yeah, anyway, bakugo's insecurity and his envy over deku's natural noble nature was always there, since season 1. also, deku's real admiration over bakugo was also there. like, going back to my other point, deku wasn't just Not Overly Scared of bakugo, he actually looked up to him despite knowing he was deeply flawed. tbh they were always a bit crazy about each other.

- uraraka is so funny i love her.

- all of class 1A was so chaotic good coded

- like they collectively made fun of bakugo on the bus to USJ for being rude lol. they really bonded over their shared dislike for the guy.

- bakugo gets fucking HUMBLED all of s1. i would also be irrationally angry ngl.

- the dialogues in the first season sometimes are so unnatural for the sake of exposition, like all might telling recovery girl: "do you mind not talking so loudly ab OFA? only you, a close friend, the principal, and midoriya know about OFA. but most professors and some pro heroes also know about my condition and not being able to fight for more than 3 hours a day" like WHO TALKS LIKE THAT ??!1?1?

- deku had to go to recovery girl's office a total of 4 times (if i counted correctly) for broken limbs of fingers in HIS FIRST WEEK of school. which is funnier considering no one else from class 1A had to go even once.

- damn shigaraki was a skinny legend before he got OP

- aizawa did not react at all when he first saw kurogiri (about the shirakumo thing). that was surprising.

- also. AIZAWA IS SO BADASS?? like yes i knew he was badass from the later seasons, but i genuinely didn't remember his first fighting sequence at USJ where he single-handedly fights like at least 20 villains.

- i had also forgotten that shigaraki calls eraserhead "really cool" so early on in the anime, i thought it was a later-seasons thing.

- this is really obvious but i had forgotten the all might theme's resemblance to superman's theme. it's such a cool little detail tho!

- uraraka and deku definitely were crushing on each other when they first met, but i think it's nice that they ended up developing a really strong friendship instead of getting together after hori didn't consistently develop them romantically. it also makes a lot more sense narratively, like why would we care who deku ends up with at the end of his first year of UA when the story actually ends 8 years after that, and it's very unlikely that you marry the same person you started dating when you were 15. idk, i liked that. i like that you can have two characters who maybe have a crush on each other but can't focus on that due to Circumstances and eventually move on and become good friends. it's a win for the platonic department!

- the animation was kinda bad in the first season 😭 but it's understandable and i had fun watching it regardless.

okay im done with s1 tune in for s2 !!

[jessamine-rose]

Platonic! Yandere Ortho

IMPORTANT NOTE: These are purely platonic headcanons of how Ortho would help Yandere! Idia. This is based on his devious side shown in his Dorm SSR, Ghost Marriage, and the Main Story. Spoiler warnings for Ch6!!

Tw:: yandere, stalking, manipulation

♡ In terms of power, Idia is one of the worst yanderes to deal with. Social weaknesses aside, he has many skills at his disposal. His magical abilities, his technological prowess…..…and his secret weapon Ortho.

♡ After months of gathering data, Ortho’s AI has come to the conclusion that you and his brother are a perfect match. The compatibility charts go haywire every time he witnesses your interactions—your genuine smiles, Idia’s pink flames, the mutual interests which fuel your conversations. The main issue is that only Idia’s body scan shows the physical symptoms of infatuation.

♡ Normally, Ortho disapproves of cheat codes. His brother’s obsessive actions will surely lead to a Bad Ending and more trouble after their S.T.Y.X. debacle. But after considering the factors at play—the love rivals, Idia’s limited choices, your plans to leave their world—he decides that it’s best to help his brother.

♡ And so Ortho takes on the equally twisted Support Role!! From the shadows, he assists Idia by hacking your devices and NRC’s security cameras. He uses your personal data to predict your reactions, learn your preferences, and come up with perfect algorithms. As for his brother’s love rivals, he can easily generate fake messages and calls from their SNS accounts.

♡ He also helps Idia in real life. You’re more likely to join their family gaming nights if Ortho is the one who invites you. He will tell you all about his brother’s achievements and facilitate love flag scenarios between the two of you. How could you suspect him of foul play?

♡ No matter how low the probability, all it takes is a 0.0001% chance to upgrade a relationship. Your Happy Ending is practically written in the stars, judging by the upward graphs in Ortho’s computations. He will do whatever it takes to ensure his brother’s happiness and make you a part of their family.

[springofdrownedmillenial]

***This post contains heavy spoilers for the Ryugenzawa Arc and the Nodoka storyline through Chapter 384. English scans read left-to-right and Japanese scans right-to-left. Sorry!***

In chapter 275 of Ranma 1/2, Ranma tells a rival for Akane's affections to "take care of her" before leaping to almost certain death. Pretty standard stuff, a staple scene of action movies everywhere, right before the hero sacrifices himself to save the girl he loves. Except that the macho bravado of the moment is subverted by the fact that Rumiko Takahashi renders Ranma's physical form, in this scene, as a beautiful, sorrowing girl.

Sapphic overtones aside, this moment has stayed with me because it holds the series' ideas about gender conformity, and specifically masculinity, up for inspection. Throughout the series, Ranma is preoccupied with being a "real man" and is famously out of touch with his emotions. Most of the time this character trait is played for laughs, but the series does hold a fair number of moments when Ranma expresses genuine vulnerability, and oftentimes Takahashi draws Ranma going through these scenarios in his girl form.

Before I go further, it is worth mentioning that I am by no means claiming Ranma is in his girl form any time he displays emotion or moments of vulnerability, or that vulnerability is the only kind of emotion girl-Ranma displays. Rather, I am saying that Takahashi, as a storyteller, often makes use of the gender swap device to heighten the emotional impact of a scene and that, moreover, the emotions that Ranma bodily expresses as a boy often differ in their association with gendered attributes than the ones he expresses as a girl. As a boy, Ranma expresses anger, belligerence, confusion, comically rendered fear - all "active," masculine-coded feelings. On the other hand, during moments of sadness, uncertainty, acquiescence, or some sense of loss, when they are not played for laughs or as a setup to a gag, he is often drawn as a girl. Even though Ranma is constantly trying to return to being a "real" man, Takahashi repeatedly undercuts the idea that this is a good and worthwhile thing to aspire to.

I won't get into what makes a "real man" here, but it's pretty easy to pick up on; as it turns out, the rules of heteronormative Japanese masculinity are a lot like the American ones: boys don't show weakness, boys don't back down or admit when they're wrong, boys don't show sadness or fear, and above all they don't eat girly stuff like yogurt parfaits.

Takahashi gets around the rules of masculinity by having Ranma embody vulnerability in a female body. This is both a loophole and a subversion. As a girl, Ranma is now "allowed" to show certain emotions, just like he is "allowed" to eat parfaits without inviting social judgement when in his female body. But since his gender identity remains male, he is still a boy eating the parfait, having these emotions. What makes his female-bodied vulnerability interesting is how it later affects his ability or willingness to express "un-manly" emotions while in his male body.

So, to return to Chapter 275: The thing is, Takahashi could have easily drawn Ranma as a boy in this panel. It would have been easy to insert a shot of him turning back into a boy via a Magically Appearing Kettle. As I stated earlier, this scene could have played like a macho action movie, with one guy "handing over" his girlfriend to another guy before sacrificing himself. And if Ranma were in his boy form when saying this line, it would definitely strengthen that read. You can easily imagine him delivering the line with a kind of macho stoicism and fortitude. But he doesn't. He delivers the line in his girl form, and what’s more Takahashi ramps up the ante here and draws him as downright beautiful. His features are exaggerated to emphasize femininity, with a small, rounded face shape and a delicately pointed chin. Ranma's eyes are huge, and light reflections take up most of the pupils, giving them a luminous appearance. This panel directly follows two shots of Akane and Ranma gazing at each other without speaking, and because the line is delivered so quietly, paired with Ranma's hyper-feminine appearance and expression, it locks the reader into the emotional intensity of the moment. In this moment, we're not thinking about Orochi. We're looking at Ranma mourning the loss of his relationship with Akane.

Remember that Ranma is under the understandable, if mistaken, impression that Akane has effectively tossed him over and chosen Shinnosuke as her new beau. This scene is not subtle about reinforcing the misunderstanding. Shinnosuke kept pace with Ranma in rescuing Akane from Orochi, he's sitting right next to her as she wakes up. In this panel Ranma is accepting and respecting what he thinks is Akane's decision to be with someone else, and this setup makes Ranma and Akane's reunification in the next chapter all the more impactful and romantic.

 Without this panel, would we have gotten that final scene – surely one of the loveliest in the whole series – of Ranma mentally rehearsing all the things he wants to say to Akane and reaching for her hand? I would argue no. While Ranma was plenty upset after Akane first slapped him and shedding his feelings all over the place, in his boy form he expressed himself angrily, petulantly, and childishly - and that was when he wasn't repressing his emotions altogether. That's not the behavior of someone who possesses great emotional maturity. It is only after this scene that he is able, as a boy, to speak sincerely. And I would argue that it's largely because of his vulnerability in this scene that he’s eventually able to at least try to connect emotionally with Akane without hiding behind a lot of bluster and insults.

The tug of war between machismo and vulnerability comes to the fore even more strongly in the long Nodoka subarc that runs through the second half of the series. In a nutshell, Ranma's long-lost mother reappears in his life and is eager to reunite with Ranma, but with a catch: if Ranma hasn't grown up to be a "completely manly," then both Ranma and Genma will be held to a promise to commit ritual suicide. By conventional definitions, Ranma, obviously, is not 100% male and, faced with the prospect of literal death, meets with his mother as Akane's made-up cousin "Ranko," all the while dreaming of the day he can reunite with Nodoka as his real self.

The chapters involving Nodoka are gag-based and comical, and largely turn on ever more preposterous scenarios in which Ranma must constantly switch between his male and female bodies. One of the more serious arcs in this subplot involves Kumon Ryuu, a boy who impersonates Ranma and moves into Nodoka's house after convincing her he is her son. Ranma, of course, fights Ryuu in order to reclaim his name and identity. This arc is poignant and, unlike most other Nodoka arcs, played mostly as a dramatic storyline, because Takahashi makes no bones about how much Ranma loves his mother. This is the one relationship that Ranma wants and pursues without any kind of bluster or contrariness. He doesn't pretend that he doesn't want to see Nodoka. He doesn't rebuff her with rudeness or insensitive remarks. Ranma makes it clear that his mother is important to him and that he will go to extraordinary lengths to be in her life and have a connection with her.

Although Ranma ultimately defeats Ryuu in combat, there are two panels show how much of a pyrrhic victory this is. After the battle, Ranma get punted into a water trough (as one does) and, in his girl form, hides behind a pile of rubble while Nodoka confronts Ryuu.  We see clearly how dejected Ranma is in this scene. Even though he is drawn in the foreground, Takahashi makes him look small next to the mound of dirt, and the way he is positioned, hunching down, hugging his knees, makes him look even tinier. He just looks really lonely and really sad, listening to his mother speak so gently to a boy who is not himself.

In the second panel, Ranma, still sitting in the same position, now looks even tinier, as the panel is drawn from an aerial perspective with Ryuu in the foreground and Ranma in the middle ground. Ryuu advises him to tell Nodoka the truth before departing for good. This is such a heartbreaking conclusion to this arc: Despite the physical and inner ordeals he has endured for his mother's sake, in the end he is reduced to hiding himself away, unable to either reveal himself or speak the truth. Emotionally, this is one of Ranma's lowest points, and once again, because the rules of masculinity preclude Ranma from expressing sincere dejection in a male body, Takahashi makes use of his female body and emphasizes his smallness to visually convey his emotional state.

Unlike in the Ryugenzawa arc, Ranma's display of vulnerability in his girl form doesn't lead to an emotional breakthrough in his boy form, as he remains a girl for the rest of the arc, which concludes on the next page. But it is striking that Ryuu, an antagonist and total outsider to Ranma's long-running drama, should be so insightful into the whole situation. He doesn't tell Ranma to 'man up' or to find a cure. He sees what is outwardly a forlorn girl and says, simply, 'tell the truth.' Whatever beliefs Ranma has about the "right" way to present himself to his mother doesn't matter. The truth is what matters. For his part, Ranma absorbs Ryuu's advice without a word, and it is perhaps telling that although it will take another 85(!!) chapters before the Nodoka subplot is finally resolved, Nodoka only appears in three more storylines in between. This moment is really the beginning of the end for this whole rigamarole.

This scene also shows how exhausting it is to keep up the ruse. It is stressful to have to pretend to be someone else in order to keep a relationship with a loved one. It must also be so emotionally taxing to be thwarted every time you work up the nerve to tell the truth, just as it must be to have terror of the consequences of outing yourself almost involuntarily override your desire to connect.

And indeed, it all comes to a head in the subplot's concluding arc. Ranma, in his girl form, finds himself continuously confronting Genma, who as usual wants to prevent him from revealing the truth to Nodoka, and running away from Nodoka herself. Finally, Genma knocks him out, and when he regains consciousness he hazily sees Nodoka bending over him, holding a water kettle. Instinctively, Ranma splits the kettle open with a leg slash, only to discover it is empty. Ranma and Nodoka face each other for a moment before Ranma runs off.

The only way I can describe Ranma's expression in this panel is "devastated." The position of his eyebrows really makes this a unique expression. Whatever boy Ranma's mental state, be it confusion, smugness, or shock, his brows are usually furrowed downwards, suggesting dominance, control, and assertiveness. Here, however, they're arched much less sharply, opening up his whole face.

As he runs away, Ranma expresses fear that his mother has discovered the secret to his transformation. That's certainly a reason to be devastated. However, I also read this moment as being the horrible, worst-case culmination of all the stress Ranma has been under so far. He has become so panicked and worn down that he is lashing out, however inadvertently, at the one person he is desperate to please, and once again Takahashi uses his female form to visually communicate that Ranma is at his lowest emotional point.

But all is not lost! Somewhat beautifully, Takahashi shows that girl Ranma is also a conduit of positive vulnerability. In the next chapter, Ranma (still in his girl form) wakes up from a nightmare and immediately has to evade an attack from Genma. Genma reminds him that if he tells Nodoka the truth, both of them will have to commit seppuku. It's the same old go-around; we have seen this exchange before, and we know what's coming next: Ranma's going to declare that he's going to meet his mom anyway, and Nodoka will show up, and Ranma will reflexively chicken out and turn into his girl form.

This time, however, Ranma does something unexpected. He says, with a smile on his face, "Dad...I wanna stop lying already." He looks completely at peace, and it's clear that following the harrowing confrontation with his mother, Ranma's outlook has irrevocably shifted. His desire to reunite with Nodoka is finally more powerful than his fear of death, and he will accept whatever consequences may come, so long as he can meet with his mother honestly.

In contrast to how he is drawn in the Ryugenzawa arc, Ranma's face here is almost a blend of masculine and feminine features. His jawline is stronger and his eyes sit higher on the face, giving him a less exaggerated, delicate look. If his boy and girl forms were combined into one body, this is how he might appear, and his harmonized features reflect the resolution of his inner turmoil.

Once again, in a world where kettles of hot water can and do appear out of thin air, Takahashi could easily have had Ranma deliver this line in his male form. I think that she doesn't because it is important to show Ranma breaking the cycle of deception and evasion that Genma has trapped him in up until now. He's not responding with aggression this time, but rather with peace and acceptance and a new-found moral conviction. He dials down the energy; he's not doing this anymore. This is, as much as anything, an assertion of independence from his father's influence: Ranma has found his own way forward and is no longer going to let the terms of his relationship with Nodoka be dictated by fear and cowardice.

The payoff comes in the arc's climactic scene when Ranma, now in his male body, rescues Nodoka after she falls off a cliff. Mother and son are finally reunited face-to-face and, in a really touching detail, Ranma's long-awaited reunion plays out totally differently than how he has fantasized. Instead of being a cool and composed tower of manly virility, welcoming his mother into his manly arms, Ranma starts to cry and clings to Nodoka while burying his head in her shoulder. It is a pure, cathartic, completely unmanly display of emotion, and this time Ranma does it all while in a male body.

Amazingly, Ranma goes even further in trying to express himself. We see his inner monologue as he urges himself to tell Nodoka that he was Ranko, and even starts to say so out loud before he is stopped by - of course - Genma. This is a critical character development moment because, having just performed a heroic rescue, he quite honestly doesn't have to tell the truth. He could have hustled Nodoka back up to safety and just tried extra hard to remain male for the rest of the day. But he commits to his own words: He wants to stop lying. He wants to present his whole self to Nodoka, and that includes the non-masculine parts of his identity.

In the series, so much of the characters' time is preoccupied with policing gender conformity, which is not unsurprising for a gender-bender series. Ranma is inundated with comments about how a man should behave and he shouldn't behave, how he should think and how he shouldn't think, which emotions are appropriate and which ones are not. Ranma puts himself into a bind because for the most part he subscribes to this model of masculinity, and indeed until relatively recently he was nearly the perfect embodiment of it. But being "100% manly" just sends Ranma into a vicious cycle of misunderstandings and arguments and isolates him from the people he loves. The hard lesson he learns is that when he actually taps into "weaker," "unmanly" feelings, he's able to break out of this unproductive cycle and move forward to achieve his goals.

Although Ranma’s quest is to regain his manhood, we are not meant to cheer on Ranma's displays of machismo. The takeaway from Ranma's moments of vulnerability is not that it's ok to show emotions so long as you appear to be a girl. It is that heteronormative masculinity is so restrictive and so repressive that it cuts off outlets of healthy, human emotional expression. It is both futile and harmful to keep chasing after a type of masculinity that isn't really realistic to embody and still retain a sense of an emotionally whole self. Ranma isn't just a tough guy. He has deep reserves of sensitivity. He is sad sometimes. He feels heartbreak deeply. He is a boy who just wants his mother.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Your blog is my guilty pleasure lol, it's so validating to read your very matter of fact rebuttals after years of being talked over & down to in the fandom. Being in the fan space & hearing the way people talked about how much more "female gaze coded" Z/tara was made me feel like I was betraying other women by not liking Zuko or Zutara the way "real mature" women did.

Funniest thing is, when i watched the show as a kid as an older sister, someone with talent/skills that nobody else understood, a girl who felt she had to be mature all the time, Kataang instantly became my otp. Katara was living my dream of a fun, cute boy sweeping me off my feet, telling me I was special and going on a magical journey with me-- I had the HUGEST crush on Aang as a little girl. It was so lame growing older and hearing near constantly from the fandom how stupid and unbelievable the idea that Katara actually had feelings for Aang was, and how it's a "male" (aka: bad) fantasy, when honestly Zuko's angsty ass was far from dream boyfriend material in my opinion it made me feel gaslit fjhdidjskj.

Genuine Z/tara fans are fine, I totally get the appeal of the red/blue enemies to lovers sparks fly ship, but the meanest and loudest of your crewmates and the way they act like their tastes are the Correct ones has been just. ridiculous for many years. And why do those types always feel the need to start the conversation by bashing Kataang every single time?? I started with a positive opinion of their ship when I entered the fandom as a teen, even liked a few arts and whatnot as a "what-if," but all the nonsense has left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

So yeah, thanks for this space to complain about the experiences we've had lol. I've had one too many conversations about ATLA & how good it is interrupted with the other person going "well except for the Main Romance, that was shit and Z/tara should have been endgame" not to be Worn Out. Like if in their opinion the show is *perfect* except that One thing.... maybe the problem lies elsewhere?

Yup, that's definitely a pattern I noticed: zutarians are SO many and SO loud, that even though a pretty large part of the fandom disagrees with their takes (regardless of enjoying the canon ships or not) most of them just... didn't talk about it because they didn't want to be harrassed or talked down to or be hit with the "well, we are the majority therefore we're right" argument.

It's part of why I was innitially shocked at how much support this blog got. I thought I just gonna be in my own little bubble of the fandom, but nope, I got sooooo many messages of "FINALLY! Somebody said it!"

And looking back, I should've noticed something was off. There's a reason ATLA's ending was not one of these disasters that basically nukes and kills 90% of the fandom and live in infamy as one of the worst falls from grace ever, How I Met Your Mother style, even though both shows had the fan favorite ship not end together.

It wasn't just that one was well-written and the other wasn't (though that clearly affected the audience and critical reception of these endings, both at the time and through the decades).

HIMYM was a case of "The actual endgame ship was loathed by nearly everyone while the rival pairings were almost universally beloved."

ATLA was a case of "70% of the fandom likes this ship - of these fans, 25% are multishipers that also like the canon ships, 25% only like the ship in fanfic but don't actually want it to be a thing, 25% loves it but can accept it not being canon at point because they acknowledge it'd be rushed, and the 25% are the ones that would burn down Bryke's house if they could, so in reality only a fraction of the fandom didn't accept the Kataang/Maiko endgame, while the overwhelming majority was either happy about it or indifferent to it"

And that's without taking into account that Avatar got new popularity boosts through the years that lead to plenty of people that had Zutara being hyped up for years being disappointed when they realized "Oh, it was popular because of fanon shit, not because it actually would have made sense story-wise" or people who reached that same conclusion after rewatching the show.

I think that's why Zutarians have such a victim complex and want to pretend Bryke and Kataang/Maiko fans are "oppressing" them - they've been dominating the conversation for years, and not only got no results out of it, they're now losing that "leverage" too. They're no longer in an echo-chamber, they need to use actual arguments that make sense if they want their opinion to be almost universal and they just can't do it because their ship was never that good to begin with.

[thefirstradiant]

Suptober Day 8: Witch’s Brew

What’s My Flavor?

✨Wincest✨ Rating Explicit. Written for #suptober24 prompt: Witch’s Brew and kinktober kinks: choking, dubcon (but not really, just under the influence of magic), and tied up.

Words: 2.5k

Sam needs to willingly drink the antidote. Dean knows exactly how to pull that “yes” out of his brother.

A/N: Title is from a very Wincest-coded song, Sailor Song by Gigi Perez. Also this may be my new favorite lil thing I’ve written hehe

The purple wisps of smoke continued to curl into the air and make Dean cough and splutter. Why did potion making always have to be so intense, he thought, annoyed at his own annoyance. It’s a magic potion, of course it’s gonna smell terrible and coat every bit of air in this tiny room.

That’s not the only thing Dean was annoyed at currently though. He stared at his stupid little brother. It was just supposed to be a regular witch-killing, or at least, witch-neutralizing. No need for annoying counter potions or dealing with this.. version.. of Sam.

But, of course, Sam’s sitting in a short wooden chair with ropes around his arms, legs, and chest, and a dopey smile on his face in this storm cellar of all places. He just had to take the knife, didn’t he?

“Well, boys, that’s my part done.”

Dean looked up as Rowena stepped back from the cauldron, nodding her head in satisfaction at the bubbling liquid. She had a flask poured out and set it down on the table.

“Now you need to get him to drink that. The whole thing.”

She spared a glance over at Sam, who was currently glaring at the potion, and continued.

“I don’t envy you. But, if you don’t, he’s going to be like this until he dies. Remember, he must agree to taking it. You can force him, convince him, anyway you like, but he must agree. Or else it will be useless, no matter how good a witch I am.”

Rowena took a long look at Dean like she was contemplating something, but then turned and climbed the stairs out without another word.

Dean felt the first spark of real fear cut through his annoyance. What if he couldn’t get him to drink it? They’d only reached one other victim in time, and had failed to get her to agree to the antidote.

The witch’s spell was a particularly awful one. As far as they could tell, she gave her victims a taste of genuine happiness and whatever they wanted until, inevitably, they died or killed themselves in some horrible, stupid way. None of them had wanted to turn back.

Dean sighed and looked back over at Sam, who hadn’t taken his eyes off the potion.

“We’re gonna get through this, Sammy. I don’t know how, but we will.”

Sam wriggled in his ropes and tried to sit up straighter. The glare at the potion became a glare at Dean.

“I’m never going back. I’m never drinking that potion.”

Damn. Not starting off great. Dean stood and advanced slowly toward Sam, ignoring the flask for now. The chill in the room became more and more apparent as he got closer. Was it Sam doing that? The witch? Or was it just worry trickling up and down Dean’s spine? He wasn’t sure.

He stood barely a few inches away from the chair, placed his hands around Sam’s bound arms, and leaned down to be even closer to him. He needed to make his brother see in no uncertain terms. Even through the haze of the potion, he should be able to get this. Dean made sure he was looking straight into Sam’s eyes before speaking in a slow, deliberate tone.

“Yes. You will be.”

Dean watched as Sam’s throat clenched and swallowed. He saw a shiver run through him and his face softened for just a second before glaring at him again.

Oh. Okay. Sure. If that’s how Sam wanted to play it, Dean could get behind it. He shook off the fact that it’s been years since Sam had asked for anything like this from him and the fact that he wasn’t really asking this time either.

Dean studied the man beneath him. His fists were clenched hard and he was trying to hide the heaving of his chest. So needy.

“Sammy. Look at me.”

Dean reached out a hand and forced Sam to look directly in his eyes again. He shuddered under the touch. Dean almost laughed. Sam’s been hit by a spell that gives him happiness and the desire to take whatever he’s always wanted, and this is what he responds to?

Dean lowered his voice to almost a whisper. He could feel himself already getting hard.

“Sammy, you idiot. You don’t need a potion for this.”

Sam groaned and immediately tried to pretend he hadn’t. He seemed like he was trying to look away, but couldn’t manage to tear his eyes away from Dean.

Dean could clearly see the bulge in his jeans where his legs were forced apart by the ropes. There wasn’t any denying it anymore. He’s kind of hot like this, Dean considered, surprising himself.

Sam eyes had shifted downward and locked onto Dean’s crotch, which he knew had a matching bulge. Sam began to whine. Standing over him, Dean felt very tall again, looking at a small, younger brother. So pretty, so eager.

“Shhhh, I’ll give you what you want, but you gotta drink the potion.”

Sam jerked up and stared Dean down. Apparently he wasn’t far gone enough yet.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Dean growled low in his throat. His hand came on to Sam’s chest and pressed him backward.

“I’ll fuck that yes out of you if I have to, Sammy, don’t challenge me.”

Sam, for his part, just moaned and leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. He was so responsive it was rushing to Dean’s cock everytime he made a noise.

“Fuck, you really like that don’t you?”

Good to know, he thought, filing these things away for a less dire situation.

“I’m gonna untie you now. If you leave, you get nothing. Nod so I know you understand.”

Sam looked angry, but nodded a tad too frantically anyway. He’s really desperate for it, I wonder how many years he’s kept this inside.

Dean slowly untied all Sam’s limbs and his chest and allowed him a moment to stretch out before he gave him another order.

“Now, take off your pants and get on the floor. Hands and knees.”

Dean was almost surprised at how easy this was for him. It felt.. natural, especially with the way Sam responded to everything like he wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.

Sam moaned again and unbuckled his belt with trembling hands. He looked at the wall while stepping out of his jeans and throwing them aside before kneeling down, facing away from the table that still held the potion.

Mmm. Dean stared at his brother presenting his ass up towards him with his head hanging low towards the floor. Goddamn. Dean’s own jeans were painfully tight, so he unzipped them and pulled them down slightly to give himself some freedom.

The sound of his zipper echoed around the room and he heard a small gasp from Sammy as he waited for Dean to come closer.

Fuck.

Not able to wait any longer, Dean’s eyes raked the table covered in potion ingredients. Rowena must have used something mm- ah that’ll work. Dean grabbed a bottle of some kind of basic oil and settled down on the floor behind Sam. The potion was still within reach. Good.

“Dean..” Sam sunk even lower to the floor, only keeping his ass up.

“Oh, Sam, I don’t think a pack of wild werewolves could stop me now.”

Dean ghosted his fingers over Sam’s sides, pushing his shirt up and grabbing his hips.

Sam let out a delicious moan that had Dean pulling down his boxer-briefs immediately and finally getting a good look. He groaned. Sam’s little pink hole looked much as he remembered and a rush of how it felt came back to him suddenly.

His fingers began to glide over Sam’s hole and he dribbled a small amount of the oil onto them.

Sam gasped.

“Yeah, Sam? You’re ready, aren’t you?”

Sam pushed his ass back against Dean in reply and moaned low into the floor as Dean pressed a slick finger into him. He chuckled softly.

“Son of a bitch, Dean. Come on.”

“Always so desperate for me, aren’t you?”

But Dean gave him another finger quickly and started pressing in and out as Sam moaned openly and reached down to touch himself. Damn, that was hot.

Dean added a third finger, probably before Sam was really ready, but he didn’t care, he needed to fuck Sam NOW.

“Dean!”

“Mm, .. I’m gonna fuck you so hard.”

“PLEASE!”

Sam was clearly done with the waiting and preparation. So was Dean, he could hear himself breathing heavily. Dean gave Sam a few more thrusts with his fingers, Sam moaning in response, and then pulled them out, purposefully snagging on his rim.

Sam was whining and pushing out toward Dean like he was trying to get his fingers back in him. Like he needed something in him.

“Mmm come on, Sammy, hold on. You know what’s coming.”

Dean smiled as he dragged his fingers back over Sam’s hole and he twitched delightfully. Mmm. Gorgeous.

Dean shifted back onto his knees and rested down on his legs. While Sam couldn’t see him, he grabbed the flask full of thick purple liquid and placed it behind himself. He was surprised he even had enough presence of mind to remember the potion, with Sam still stretched out on the floor in front of him, hair a complete mess and back covered in a soft pink blush.

“Turn over.” He ordered. “Now.”

Sam wasted no time at all and breathed out softly while turning to lay with his back down on the cold floor. Dean could see that the blush continued over his stomach and the part of his chest peeking out from under his shirt. There was a light dusting across Sam’s cheeks too. He was warm to the touch and Dean couldn’t help but run his hands all over Sam’s sides and hips.

“Mmm. So perfect.”

“Dean.. please.”

“I’ve got you, Sam. I got you.”

He shifted and pulled his jeans down a little more so he could get his boxers out of the way. Finally, with a deep groan, Dean pulled his cock out free. He gave it a few long strokes, the friction felt so good. And Sammy looked even better, zoned out and desperate for it. Open. Waiting. For him. Dean couldn’t hold on a second longer.

Dean grabbed Sam’s hips and lifted them over his own until he was practically in his lap. They were so close. He could feel every movement Sam made, while he tried to squirm closer to Dean’s hard cock. They were lined up perfectly.

“Alright, Sam, you ready?”

“YES. Dean, I’m ready.”

Dean took a deep breath and pulled Sam toward him, impaling him ever so slowly on his cock, until they were flush against each other and he couldn’t think anymore.

Fuck. Sammy.

Dean groaned loud against the walls of the cellar.

“Damnit Sam- Sammy. Oh god. So tight.”

Dean looked up at Sam’s face again. It was flushed red, but Sam was grinning, smiling like he’d gotten exactly what he wanted. Dean rolled his hips into him and felt a stab of pride at watching Sammy’s smile slip to an open mouthed moan of pleasure. He pulled moan after moan out of his brother’s mouth as he began rocking steadily into him. Damn his sounds are so hot.

Sam was breathing out a quiet stream of yes yes Yes YES with every thrust of Dean’s hips. Dean smiled to himself. Well, if he got a yes for that..then-

He reached behind himself to close his fingers around the now cold flask. Bending over Sam to reach his face pressed him in so deep, both of them let out a groan.

“Mm come on, it’s time.”

Sam opened eyes he had shut when Dean pressed into him and flicked his gaze to Dean, to the flask, back to Dean, and back to flask again. He looked like he was about to protest, so Dean changed the angle of his hips just slightly, where he knew Sam wouldn’t be able to resist.

Sam’s eyes rolled back in his head as Dean hit that perfect spot inside him and his hands flew out to either side. Then, very quietly, almost so Dean couldn’t hear, he replied.

“Yes, Dean.”

And Sam left his mouth hung open, waiting.

Dean was flooded with immense relief and red-hot lust at the same time. He dragged his free hand up to land on his brother’s neck and started to pour as much of the potion as he could into his mouth. Then he massaged his neck until he’d been forced to swallow all of it.

Without stopping the movement of his cock inside Sam, he kept this up until the flask was completely drained. Only a drop remained, dribbling from Sam’s lips as he tried to breathe. Dean released the flask and his hand that was holding Sam’s neck.

“There. You did it.”

But Sam looked desperately out at his brother and grabbed the hand that had been around his neck to bring it back to where it belonged. He patted Dean’s hand where he had rested it back on his throat in a silent, but blindingly clear, message.

A rush of heat went straight to Dean’s head and cock and he found his vision went a little hazy from the pressure. Damn, the things he does to me. He’s insane.

Dean closed his hand around Sam’s throat anyway, no longer trying to make him swallow, but instead trapping all his air. He brought his other hand to wrap around Sam’s throbbing cock, leaking a steady flow of precome.

Sam groaned, as much as he could while his airway was being blocked, and arched his back toward Dean. He’s so beautiful like this, Dean thought. Sam’s face wore an expression of absolute bliss and lust. Dean wondered vaguely how many times he’d ever get to see that look on his brother’s face.

“Sammy. Oh, Sammy. Come for me.”

That was all Sam needed to start shaking. His mouth opened in a silent scream or moan or gasp or something, Dean wasn’t sure, and he was coming all over Dean’s hand. It felt like he came forever, thick white stripes coating his palm, and rolling and clenching around Dean’s cock.

Would he?.. Dean wondered and decided to test his theory. He brought his filthy hand up to Sam’s face and covered his mouth with it. Dribbles of come started to mix with the remnants of the potion on Sam’s lips. He loosened the vice grip on Sam’s throat just enough so he could start gasping into his hand.

Sam’s eyes opened briefly, glanced at the hand with a flash of understanding, and closed again. Then his tongue came out and danced over Dean’s palm, licking up as much come as he could reach. No hesitation whatsoever.

Dean’s groan was so low it was almost impossible to hear.

“Fucking hell, Sam. Fuck- I’m coming.”

Dean’s hips gave one last wild thrust into Sam before he pressed in all the way and held there, head hanging down and limbs shuddering. The buildup of pressure that had begun with Sam tied to that damn chair released deep into him.

“Damn.”

That was the most intense orgasm Dean’s had in.. well probably ever had. He looked up to check in on Sam who, for what it was worth, looked much more lucid than he had in awhile.

“Hey. Sam, you back?”

Sam’s voice was breathy and raspy as he coughed and attempted to respond.

“Yeah.. yeah, Dean, I’m back.”

It worked. Thank god. Dean sighed and reached out a tired hand to pat Sam on the chest. He sat back, not wanting to pull out of Sam just yet. He didn’t want to ever be apart from Sam again.

“Good. Welcome back, little brother.”

FIN

[science-lings]

Totk Theory: The Sages, the Dragons, and the Zonai

Ever since botw I've been interested in where the champion's powers came from. With totk, that question was answered, or was it? Sure, each sage has an ancestor who had the same abilities, but both Dinraal and Farosh have corresponding powers to existing sages despite being draconified Zonai. (see the stiff white hair with glowing sections, long ears, and thick stubby eyelashes)

Rauru's stubby little horns are also pretty dragon-coded

But, how could that be? the Sages of Fire and Lightning aren't Zonai, and there are no more instances of repeating abilities. Except with Zelda inheriting her power over Light from Rauru, her Zonai ancestor. Despite looking nothing like a Zonai herself.

Rauru and Mineru were the last of the Zonai, or at least, the last 'pure' Zonai. Rauru and Sonia had to have a child to continue the royal like to the point where Zelda contained both of their kinds of magic. Who says that the Zonai of 'long long ago' didn't get friendly with the other races, most notably, the Gorons and the Gerudo.

This could also explain why there are a few notable Gerudo in the past with gray skin, a very uncommon trait to have. Perhaps that's why Ganondorf is even able to obtain and utilize the secret stone in the way that he has, because he's got Zonai blood, more than most of the sages, or at least the ones with useful magic. (let's be real, being able to turn yourself into a ghost wouldn't be the best power to have in a fight.)

Perhaps that's why Farosh flies the length of the Gerudo Highlands, getting as close as she dares to the desert that she may have once called home, and why Dinraal coasts by Death Mountain's foot. perhaps there was once a bloodline that carried the power of ice in Lanayru, maybe it stayed dormant in some sheikah inventor that incorporated their power into the sheikah slate. (good idea for an oc huh)

I just think it's odd that we're meant to believe that the Zonai just... died out. We're led to believe that they were godlike and mighty and full of magic, but also able to disappear without much explanation. But maybe they didn't die out, they just became a part of Hyrule, a part of her people. Maybe there weren't many of them to begin with, and they connected with the people around them. Leaving only Rauru and Mineru as the last of them left who could be considered fully Zonai.

This could also explain why the Heroes aspect looks so funky, bc they're part Zonai, part... something else, or many something else's, something with a lion tail that has the little poof on the end. The Ancient Hero is supposed to have existed long after the zonai (Rauru and Mineru) died off, in the time of the first calamity, but they're still very obviously closely related to the Zonai.

TLDR: Hyrule is absolutely full of people who would procreate with alien dragon people and it has some funky effects on their descendants.

also disclaimer: I don't mean to make the whole Zonai bloodline kind of thing sound so eugenics-y, I know the wording isn't perfect on this post but I'm also not sure how else to word it, so just know that I don't mean to offend anyone or sound weird when it comes to fantasy race intermixing. This is genuinely just a theory for fun and I don't want to sound rude to anyone.

[queenlucythevaliant]

this is re: a super old post lol but when does harry potter make mischief just for the heck of it? yes he breaks rules but it’s always for a decent reason as far as i can remember, not just for kicks and giggles (tbf i haven’t reread in quite a while)

You're referencing this post, correct?

I don't think I was saying that Harry Potter makes mischief just for the heck of it so much as that he has a very ends-justify-the-means mentality when it comes to mischief making. He's perfectly content to lie to authority figures, even those we know to be Good, because he is fundamentally mistrustful of authority. He breaks the rules all the time because he doesn't believe that the rules are there for a good reason. (And, to his credit, he is often right about these things.)

Fred and George are a good example of the "agents of chaos" mischief makers I mentioned later on in those tags, as are Harry's dad and co. The code phrases for the magical map they all use are literally "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good" and "mischief managed." The series as a whole had a very pro-rule breaking bent to it that doesn't really come up against many ethical lines. Lying to authority figures is fine because authority is Bad. Pranks are to be celebrated, even if not everyone enjoys them. Why not cut class with candies that make you sick? It's all in good fun.

The point I was trying to make in the original post is that Corin in HHB is a really good counter-example to this attitude around mischief making: both Harry's attitude and that of the series as a whole. Corin is a character who enjoys breaking rules, causing a bit of chaos, and getting into fights for fun, but he's very ethical about it. He's fundamentally unwilling to lie about said mischief, even if he could totally get away with it. He threatens to knock people down all the time, but he only really does it when people disrespect Queen Susan. Even the city guards who try to lock him up during his day of escapades get tricked into drinking wine and falling asleep, not beat up. Shasta even comments that Corin looks abashed when he gets in trouble with his dad. He's respectful of the authority figures in his life.

I don't know, I just think that the two series have very different attitudes around mischief and trouble-making. I don't think Harry Potter's attitude is bad, per se - and it's certainly not unique among children's books, many of which have a real lack of trustworthy adults - but I find HHB's attitude really wholesome. I genuinely love that Corin, the most mischievous character in the series, genuinely cannot fathom lying to Edmund.

[chiililisatoo]

My Last GilArt post

It had been real : I love Gilgamesh as a character and the original Epic of Gilgamesh and FGO babylonia chapter , and CCC secret gardens of Gilgamesh, got me through a really tough phase in Life so I am very grateful to Nasu and Gilgamesh of Fate and og irl Gilgamesh ; I also ship GilArt Cause i see genuine love on Gilgamesh's end for Saber Artoria and i find their union compatible and fateful poetic , Gilgamesh is a wise advisor to a monarch , So here's a short headcanon / fanfiction to celebrate my recovery and moving on in Life, pardon my loose/weak writing :

Archer Gilgamesh swallowed his pride and attempted courting the first and only woman he has loved ,

The woman of his not very discrete affections stood a few feet away from him , her eyes had a strong emotion in them which he assumed to be similar to his own and her gaze as always was directed to the mongrel with his faking technique , it hurt to see it but he persevered , he was a king after all , he could handle a woman's naive foolishness ,

His efforts at being politer with her and toning down his heat on other team members, taking their cause seriously well as seriously as he could concern himself with these mongrels and their struggle, and his wisdom was also given to these mongrels cause' , he was quite confident his efforts had earned some reciprocation from the blue saber, so he decided to be bolder today :

He waited for the mongrel to leave , he could swallow his pride around saber he was not ready to let a mongrel see him getting rejected

When he saw saber alone he walked towards her gave her a polite greeting : "Heading out early today King of Knights ? "

She turned her head slightly and gave a slight nod after a pause "yes , I have some matters to attend to ..." , Gilgamesh swiftly

closed the gap between , cupped her face in his right gauntlet careful to not hurt her ivory skip and placed his lips against hers tenderly in a chaste kiss , he held her that way for a few moments , when they seperated he stared in her eyes , they were bright and wide and and her face was slightly flushed in that moment he felt elation rising inside of him ,

But alas in the next moment he felt the blazing heat from her drawn sword and felt her blade against his neck , he stood still to not escalate the situation as he looked into the burning hatred in Saber's eyes

Something snapped inside him in that instant he held the tip of her blade at her neck with his gauntlet and hurled it forcefully towards the ground, turned away from the King of Knights and stormed away swiftly without looking back :

Years of longing, Years of Courting had amounted to absolutely nothing , Had he ever put this much effort into obtaining any treasure ever ,

Yes , that one time...

He had never longed this much for even Enkidu though he would never let him know that

His frustration was piling up he had to redirect his mind elsewhere immediately

Luckily he caught his younger self sitting at the library and decided his younger self is the best remedy for his adult frustrations

He sat across his younger self , his younger self spared him only a polite nod and went back to working with a magic pen artefact and writing into his tablet and flipping pages through the books he was working out with such gusto he was mildly amused , in sometime his curiosity got the better of him and he went to stand behind his younger self and trying to read what he was working out , the language was ancient sumer and also had some mathematical symbols it looked like his younger self was using a code in his writing , well he might as well try to crack it ... when he heard his younger self speak :

"Its Aristotle's take on what it means to be A God, a human and an animal or lesser life form , the younger iskander brought it up and so I am working it out cause i want to see what it means to be a God, a human and an animal" ,

"Ho .. i see you have gone through quite a few materials ... What have you understood thus far ?"

His younger self looked at him with a look he could not quite fathom :

After a long pause , " What did you feel when that reptile , snake was it ? that ate the plant you found after such a long journey ?"

Archer Gilgamesh softened, the young servant was himself but he was still just a child ,

"In that moment i felt freed from my destiny, of converting humans to god or forcing them to pray to gods and be bound to them , I finally understood what it meant to be human and found strength in my human blood and strength in my kinghood kingship and my subjects, I lost my fear of death and felt power in my kingship and my kingdom , I put faith in my dynasty to make me immortal in the truest sense , my being recorded as King of Heroes and my NPs are the testament of that "

His younger self looked at him with wide eyes so full of awe and admiration he felt his chest swell with pride for himself of course

"So adult me in that moment or later did you become a GOD ?"

Well ...

He had found the strength in his human blood , strength to fight , strength in his human limitations, his kingship and strength in his convictions ,

But he never had control on his destiny

Never .... No control on his destiny

His mind drifted back to that moment earlier with the Blue Saber and how he came here

He remembered the singularity in which his Uruk and his throne was torn down to shreds

He remembered the immortality plant in his GoB that he never consumed

He remembered ishtar and nd how she caused Enkidu's death

Ishtar a full goddes unlike him a demigod had no control of her destiny either

Neither did Ishtar's Father or anyone of the Gods of the Age of Gods : No God, No Human no animal or homunculus no divine or human construct had any control on their destiny ....

No one and nothing had a control on their destiny .....

He cleared his throat of the rising bile in him ,

"Well , of course not , but I was worshipped as a deity some dynasties down mine own "

His younger self did not seem satisfied by that (of course he was not but Gilgamesh was not about to tell a child that no one and nothing has a control on their lives that most lives were worthless to everyone even themselves and any meaning and purpose was difficult to find and practice )

But he had successfully given his life meaning and purpose when he was alive and as a heroic spirit

He had trained his mind and dedicated it to seek elegance and beautiful objects and beings and own them for himself by force if necessary , he sought pleasure too for himself but not as rampantly as his alive teenage self , yes he was being selfish taking what he like and enjoyed for himself, woth no regard for consent or harm it would do to humanity or other beings or causes , he was above everyone and what he did was the rule and they had to deal with it

That is how he gave purpose to his existence and that is how in his mind he could control his own mind hence maybe even his destiny, his purpose was to expand his own treasury and everything in existence was his to seek and enjoy: that is how he existed and felt in control

Well except for the Blue Saber ....

his trance was broken by the child's query

"Say, why did you not consume the plant of immortality when you got it the second time, would not being immortal make you closer to a godly existence or at least closer to being a GOD "

He was not going to have the conversation of no control on destiny , his penchant for violence wnd smaller humanity so he could observe and maintain his rule with iron fist or better control than widespread humanity, his seeking of pleasure and taking everything for himself just so he could feel like he is in control in his mind

Why did he not eat the plant ?

Why of course , is it not obvious , cause he wanted to die and stay dead ?

Gods ? Those gods who died screaming to human constructions ?

Demi gods who found their purpose in plundering humanity ?

Humans who kept struggling with no rational argument as to what point and purpose and what is to be seeked at the end of the tunnel

He wanted to die and stay dead

If he had a sy he would never let himself be summoned even as a HS

Having no consciousness and hence to need to seek purpose or pleasure

Is the only solution he could come up with to his pain of living

So if was going to die he wanted to stay dead and before that he would rule with all his might

And that is why he did not consume the immortality plant

Of course he would not reveal that to a child himself or not or to anyone else even his own self if he were multiple summoned per chance that was his and only his mind would know

So he returned the kid's question with :

"Why do you ask that ? Do you perhaps want to become a GOD "

"Well I wouldn't mind if I can .." the child replied shyly

Gilgamesh's eye brows rose ,

"Ho , Your reason ? "

"Well it would make me more powerful so I could be more Victorious and i get to rule wider .."

Victory ? Power ? Victory through Power ?

Archer Gilgamesh chuckled to himself ,

Well a child should learn and develop for themselves

"Yes of course there is no need for you to inhibit your pursuit for godhood just because i failed at it or did not seek it . Seeking ones desire is the only way for one to live "

This seems to have drowned whatever doubts his younger self was having as after a slight nod with glowing eyes and flushed cheeks his younger self returned to his study with increased fervor

Seeking out ones desire is the only way for one to live ....

So in this existence as a HS did he seek godhood, beauty, greatness, power , immortality , inventions or victory

Did he seek death and non - existence ?

If he somehow deleted his entire saint graph from the throne would he be non - existent for ever ?

That was an interesting thought ....

----x--x--x------

Few Months Later

----X--X--X-------

Merlin and a small council of HS were discussing their current predicament

A Lostbelt's information was to be stored away for further deep analysis : this information be transformed and used correctly would be a valuable weapon specifically for chaldea made by chaldea for chaldea with a defence mechanism against outer interventions similar to Archer Gilgamesh's Ea ,

And this processed data might even reveal their true enemy and let them pull one up against their opponents

This was a good idea but this involved processing data of almost equal to a full planet and transforming it with encryption for themselves required a lot of energy and skill

Who could possibly do it ?

Why, who better than himself who jeld Ea and his GoB he the first Hero was of course the go to choice , but he Gilgamesh said nothing out loud , let the mongrels squabble among themselves , of course if they asked him of it he would first test them foe their Worthiness to witness his valor

After sometime the small counsel scattered , he made to go away when Merlin called out to him ,

" King of Heroes if you have a moment "

Well he might as well here Merlin out he did help him in Babylonia , " Hmm .."

"I am sure it has occurred to you during our discussion that your Gate of Babylon and Ea and SNI are perfect NPs for attempting this venture of Chaldea "

" Yes it did "

" And you also understand what it would entail ? "

Consuming his entire saint graph and his becoming non - existent ... Maybe forever

" What is it that you want from me , Mage of Avalon ? "

" Well , King of Heroes , would you consider taking on this venture for Chaldea ?"

Would he consider burning his entire saint graph for a signature NP for Chaldea only risking, as he was quite sure of it , becoming non - existent for ever

He thought for a while

Well.....

---- On D Day -----

Merlin and a few other HS watched on as the King of Heroes was stuck inside a pillar of light seemingly unconcious

But inside Archer Gilgamesh's mind was flowing data nearly at the speed of thought which he was processing , only the nodes he felt were important which he discerned with his SNI , his Ea was eating away at his Saint Graph to supply his GoB and SNI the power to interpret for Chaldea, encrypt like Ea so Chaldeans only can use it and process a planets data plus a PHH worth of alternate Phenomena and Textures nearly at the speed of thought

Gilgamesh could now consciously feel his saint graph cutting and screaming

The throne rebelling to not let go of its possession

Typical...

He felt he could feel his life swim before his eyes

There was nothing to see there ... His life flashed before him a million times during his time as a HS ,

His eyes were shut

Just like when his life was leaving him when he was dying as a demigod

He remembered Enkidu's death Enkidu was staring into his eyes when he was dying as a god's machine

If he had been dying in Enkidu's arms would he have his eyes open of closed

He wondered if he should open his eyes and capture his last moments as a HS , but what was so amusing to witness in a group of struggling mongrels

He wondered what he would kike to see if he should open his eyes

His Saint Graph was burning away quickly and his progress on this new construction by him was going at an impressive speed considering it was not his usual methods

These processing and copying reminded him of a certain faker and of those few moments of that loving gaze they held of a certain someone

His mind conjured up a vague image of what he wanted to see

---- Outside Chaldean Group POV ------

The King of Heroes had taken on the challenge,

There were few words exchanged with him when he declared he was going to attempt that large scan

After all he had scorned at them all and this sudden camaraderie did not exactly make them old time Chums

And So they waited in anticipation for Merlin to layout his next orders

A few other chaldeans had joined them as Archer Gilgamesh seemed to be frozen there before them ,

Presently the King of Knights had walked upto Merlin

She looked into the upright and seemingly asleep King of Heroes looking serene with a soft glow surrounding him

She asked Merlin what was going on

It Seems King of Knights was not oart of Merlin's council for this experiment of his

Merlin gave her a briefing and her eyes widened slightly

It seemed King of Knights was caught by surprise by this sudden camaraderie and selfless efforts of King of Heroes , well even more so with how he harassed her

Saber Artoria looked onto Archer Gilgamesh

---- Gil POV -----

He felt a rising urge to open his eyes

He had to see ....wanted to see ... hoped to see .... If he could see at all ...

And so he was going to see....

He opened his eyes slowly , purposefully and quickly searched the face in the small group looking onto him

In a moment their eyes locked and his mind zoomed out to capture her beautiful face fully

His eyes caught her lips move he focused on her lips and he was sure his mind read out very very clearly with a laser focus on her eyes and lips

"Don't go , Gilgamesh "

---- Third person POV -----

As the group looked on something changed around the King of Heroes the light around his burned brighter and his expression changed from serene to a full scorn

He seemed to be in quite some pain yet Merlin held his fingers to his chin and seemed to be analysing it with no further instructions from Merlin the group stood still

After sometime some thing like a small blade or a shaft manifested itself in Archer Gilgamesh's left hand it grew in size and the intense light concentrated around it and moved away from Archer Gilgamesh's body to only his left arm and most intensely around what now looked like a long thin rectangular key

After much longer the light finally died ,

Archer Gilgamesh stumbled forward panting

Merlin and King of Knights both rushed to him

Archer Gilgamesh caught himself, hoisted himself upright and ripped out his now amalgamated with the new Chaldean NP left arm splattering some blood on the ground

Merling collected this artefact , a red transmutation circle of his magic appeared on top and bottom of this key and it disappeared in layers into these 2 circles

Archer Gilgamesh lifted his right arm and placed it gently on the King of Knights left cheek

Neither of them said anything thing

Saber Artoria turned around and said something to Merlin which he seemed to affirm and marched away just like she came

Merlin exchanged a short dialogue with the King of Heroes and Nodded a greeting and left

King of Heroes followed Merlin shortly after along with the rest of the Chaldean group

---- King of Heroes POV ------

His eyes caught and his brain read

" Don't go, Gilgamesh "

He shut his eyes immediately and concentrated heavily on what he was processing

There has to be a way , there had to be

He would find a way out

His mind processed the waves of data, zooming in and out at the speed of thought ,his SNI was working at full throttle, His Ea's swirl keeping the throne and his saint graph burning at bay , had he ever used his Ea this masterfully

Later he would attempt repairing his saint graph , he had a more important task first

He finally found a link from his SNI to this Lostbelt's texture

He found multiple concepts in his NPs of GoB that matched these typical textures and he proceeded to link them together via his GoB and used his Ea and already consumed saint graph to .... Well he was not one to use mage craft but on this special occasion ... He projected his own construction for once in his left arm with his GoB and Ea , he felt his left arm burning and soon lost sensation in it , oh well

He shut his eyes tightly and pushed his SNI even further - he had to construct this as completely as he could with the resources he had collected

He felt a million spikes hitting and exploding against the inside of his cranium

He felt he would soon loose consciousness for real

His breathing was becoming laboured

He felt the blood coursing through his veins heat up like a fire

Then he finally saw it : the encryption that would give Chaldea an advantage even if its only temporary

He locked it into the blade key construction he had projected in his left hand

He then proceeded to meticulously nd he dared say with a genius worked all the data into this construction of his his focus was sharp and he soon completed this task

His burning of his Saint graph had been minimal

He even managed to repair some of it himself

But the damage to his saint graph was extensive - it would show in his GoB and in himself - he might ask Merlin to do something about it

Oh well he would at least walk out of this alive

He made more repairs to his saint graph till it was not critical and proceeded to do some final touches to this new NP

The light around him subsided while the NO was glowing mesmerizing with he heat and fire radiating from it

He had created this beauty

Dare he say as beautiful as the King of Knights' Excalibur if not more

Proud of his accomplishment he took a step forward

And nearly fell to the pain through his spine and weight he felt in his left arm

When he looked at his left arm it was neither radiating with beauty or mesmerizing

It looked like a thin rectangular stub of copper

He held his sigh and tore of his left arm slightly gritting his teeth

Some blood splattered to the ground

He looked ahead of him

Merlin and King of Knights stood before him , behind them farther away the rest of the party

He held out the NP to Merlin , who scanned it away with his magic he marvelled as always slightly at Merlin's true magic

If Merlin was disappointed with his impromptu change in their joint venture , he did not show it

The group behind them held neutral expressions as well

Well he was not known for selfless sacrifice

Maybe they including Merlin had expected him to not gi through with it

Or to fail at it

Merlin also seemed to have not mentioned to Saber that he essentially requested him to go through a suicide mission

He took a careful step forward and reached out to King of Knights who stood still as if she knew what he wanted

When the inside of his right gauntlet touched her left cheek his pondering of non-existence and stillness of death disappeared

When he looked into her eyes he knew what he desired

Pursuing ones desire is what it means to Live

Some things are beautiful because they cannot be obtained ?

He was sure she would look dazzlingly enchanting with his arms , or arm, around her

[tsams-and-co-memes]

"Unless something has been done to Sun" Ok but what does that include? Are we thinking about Sun gaining magic? Are we thinking of the way the creator got into his head and tortured him that one time? I'd imagine either of those things might've had an impact on his code, in one way or another. Could Ruin or Moon have stuck something in the code to purposefully mess it up? Moon was the one who took the code from Sun and stuck it on a flash drive, and Ruin probably had enough time while traveling back to the base to do something with it

Honestly hoping one of them DID do something, because as funny haha cringe as Nexus was at the start of his whole villain arc, he's becoming a problem. Like. A real, genuine problem. I hate the idea of him being this unstoppable force that could and would kill his entire former family, and if nobody can take him out, I honestly, sincerely hope that using negative star power so much kills him. I hope it has the same effect on him as The Star did, on one of the past versions of Eclipse; weakening him gradually over time and slowly killing him from the inside out